Homeward Bound

Because James was born after midnight on Saturday, we were able to stay in the hospital until Monday morning. We decided to milk the 24-hour care and pampering for all it was worth before heading home. So, we checked out and came home Monday (I'll post pictures soon), and all has gone well for the two days we've now been home.

Our greatest anxiety about going home was how our dogs - Buster and Peanut - would take to having a new baby brother. In particular, how they would take to losing their top spots in our family pack order. The first day was a little crazy, since they had no idea what James was. They both could not get enough of sniffing him and trying to lick him to see what he tasted like. We obviously had to establish some boundaries pretty quickly. But, after two days, they have pretty much settled into their old routines and seem to see James as just another part of the household. They're still curious, but eventually lose interest and find a nice spot to sleep. We are thrilled to see them adjust so well!

After losing about 6 oz in the hospital - completely normal as babies try to figure out life outside the womb - we learned yesterday that James gained 2 oz back in one day. This was excellent news, and confirmed that he is taking well to nursing.

*I titled this post "Homeward Bound" not only for the obvious reason, but also because this is the song that was playing when James was born. While Mary was pregnant, I put together a mix of nice, soothing music on the iPod that would help her to relax during labor. I was oblivious to what was playing when it got closer to the end, but our incredible Labor and Delivery nurse told me later that it was Simon & Garfunkle's "Homeward Bound" - one of my personal favorites.